MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

By Charles N. Spence, Jr.

The Bible commands that God’s children sing praises unto Him (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Heb. 13:15). Paul instructs Christians concerning the manner in which singing is to be offered. He says, “. . . singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). What Paul means is that singing, if it is going to be acceptable and proper to God, must involve the heart. The person singing must agree with the sentiments of the song. The spirit of the song is in agreement with his spirit, thus striking a cord in his heart. The melody or the harmony comes when there is agreement in the mind of the individual with the provocations, sentiments and truths expressed in the song being sung. This agreement or melody in the heart helps to produce the grace in the heart that Paul talks about in Colossians 3:16. The word translated grace in this passage means that which inspires joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm and loveliness. Singing unto God and each other ought to be a joyous and delightful exercise because we are in harmony with the sentiments expressed in the song.

However, for some Christians this is not a joyous and delightful experience. There may be many reasons why some Christians do not find singing unto the Lord a pleasurable exercise. There is one reason in particular that I would like to focus upon in this article. Some Christians do not find singing unto the Lord a joyful experience because of the way the singing sounds. The Bible is explicit in describing the manner in which God’s people are to sing. As far as the mechanics of singing are concerned, Christians must offer the fruit of their lips (Heb. 13:15). They must sing with understanding (mind) and with the right frame of mind (spirit) (1 Cor. 14:15). The songs Christians sing must be expressions of cheerfulness (grace) (Col. 3:16). No where, that I can find, does the Bible instruct Christians to sing in such a way that their voices blend together to bring about a pleasant sounding harmony. Certainly pleasant sounding songs are nice and those who have the ability to contribute to such ought to do so. But not everyone has that ability and God does not require that a person has this ability before he can sing acceptably unto Him. Christians are not singing for the purpose of entertaining, but for the purpose of praising God and teaching and admonishing each other.

The Israelites were instructed on several occasions to “Make a joyful noise unto God” (Psa. 66:1; 81:1; 95:1; 98:4; 100:1). I was talking with a bother in Christ, Marshall Irvin, about this very thing. He told me, “If God hadn’t said make a joyful noise, some brethren would have made the passage say make a harmonious noise.” Even though the passage does say make a joyful noise, some still insist that people sing harmoniously. They get bent out of shape when some of their brethren cannot find the proper pitch or sing the right melody. Some of us become more concerned with the mechanics of the song than the frame of mind in which the brethren are singing. God is not as concerned with sour notes as He is with sour hearts.

Some people are simply not good singers. Should our worship toward God be hindered because of it? I would submit that those who allow themselves to be troubled by how a person sounds when singing are themselves not making a joyful noise. They are not placing the proper focus upon what the Lord intended for them to do. Not all brethren are musicians, can read notes or can even carry a tune. But all brethren can make a joyful noise by singing unto the Lord in the manner prescribed in His word.